A Major Shift in Crypto Accessibility
Telegram founder Pavel Durov has announced a significant expansion of the platform’s financial infrastructure, pledging to integrate a native, non-custodial Gram wallet into every version of the messaging application this summer. This rollout, described by Durov as the largest deployment of non-custodial crypto wallet technology in history, targets the platform’s massive base of over one billion monthly active users. The initiative aims to provide instant, zero-fee transactions for the Gram token, formerly known as Toncoin.
This development follows a series of strategic moves under the “Make TON Great Again” roadmap, which saw Telegram assume a leading role in the development of The Open Network (TON). Following a community governance vote on June 15, the native token was rebranded to Gram, reviving the name from the project’s original 2018 whitepaper. Telegram has also reduced network fees by approximately sixfold to facilitate the promised zero-fee environment.
The Stakes of Self-Custody at Scale
The transition to a non-custodial model represents a departure from traditional custodial services, where users rely on third parties to manage their assets. By embedding key ownership directly into the core app, Telegram is positioning itself to bridge the gap between complex decentralized finance (DeFi) and mass-market messaging. However, the move introduces significant challenges. While the technical integration offers high distribution, the actual impact remains contingent on user adoption and the ability of a non-technical audience to manage self-custody security, including the recovery of private keys.
Market reaction to the announcement was immediate, with the price of Gram climbing approximately 8.4% to trade near $1.53 on July 21, following the update. Despite this, the token remains down roughly 54% over the past year, reflecting broader volatility and the long-term recovery path since the project’s earlier iterations. Analysts note that while the distribution channel is unprecedented, the platform faces resistance at the $1.60 level, with further price action likely dependent on sustained engagement following the official launch.
Regulatory and Technical Hurdles
Despite the optimism surrounding the rollout, several uncertainties remain. Telegram has yet to disclose a definitive launch date, technical specifications, or how the new native wallet will interact with existing custodial “Wallet” mini-apps. Furthermore, the company has not clarified how the rollout will be managed in jurisdictions with restrictive laws regarding in-app cryptocurrency services. The integration also draws attention to the broader regulatory landscape, as seen in Russia, where the State Duma is currently advancing legislation to formalize crypto mining registries and cross-border settlement channels.
For the broader ecosystem, the Gram rollout serves as a test case for whether a messaging giant can successfully normalize crypto-assets as a default feature of digital communication. As of late July 2026, the network recorded roughly 117,600 active addresses and 3.85 million daily transactions, with stablecoin activity heavily dominated by Tether (USDT). Whether the new wallet can effectively convert Telegram’s billions of users into active on-chain participants remains the primary metric for the initiative’s long-term success.